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Most definitely harnesses - Maxx went through a phase of not wating a harness on - until Nicki sent him a Puppia! Now he carries it round with him and adores it!

I would NEVER put a choke chain on a Cavalier, in fact I totally hate chokes full stop. We had a GSD who would only walk on a choke but that was probably because she was a failed Police dog, she never pulled however.

Fi, not saying you would put a choke on a dog but imagine wearing one yourself and everytime you moved without your 'handler' the damned thing pulled on your throat. Can you see why I hate them so much?

Maxx and Charlie both have matching collars that I insist on my dogs wearing but this is only so I have something to grab hold of if I need to (like when someone leaves a door open and Maxx tries to escape ) and also so that they can wear an identity tag as well.

The only things I have on their tags is my surname, phone no and 'I AM IDENTICHIPPED' - that way if anyone tries to dognap them they know that they have 'hot property'!

All their other info is in the chip so the dog wardens, vets or police can scan them and find who they belong to

Hi, Fi. I know many people have strong opinions on this issue. My personal opinion is that different dogs need different types of training. Having had Cedar and working with her for the short time that I have, it is clear to me that a choke collar isnt necessary with her (and probably most cavs, from what I hear here!). I finally found a halter that fits her, and she is much more comfortable with it than walking on lead with even just her regular collar (not a choke/training collar). She still tries to hold it in her mouth like she did with the regular collar, but she's learning that the halter/lead combo doesnt get wrapped in her legs as easily.

I have used a choke collar in the past, but always with much larger dogs (German shepherd mix & an agressive German Shorthair Pointer). If used properly, I do not believe the choke collar is painful on large dogs. It is more attention-grabbing (like a rattle-can) than painful. A larger dog's neck is build differently than the fragile human neck. I do recommend a trainer teach a handler/owner how to properly use a choke collar, so that it is used correctly and effectively. Once the animal is trained, the training collar isnt necessary.

Again, this is just my opinion. I know many people disagree with my opinion, and they have their own reasons and experiences for believing what they do. Since you asked, I thought I would give my side.

Well i had a normal colllor on my Cloe, then i went to a dog show, and i was told not to put a collor on my Cavalliers as it ruined thier coat, the collar was taken off and they put a choke chain on and they walked cloe for the first time without her pullling, so i thought it was the handler, so she told me what to do and asked me to walk her, i did and for teh first time my shoulder didnt come out of tis socket and to this day she will still try to pull and on the normal lead which i tried again a few weeks back, she actually pulled me on teh road as she took off unexpected like!

but when she is good there is no pulling and due to my bad back i cant risk walking her if she pulls. i do sometimes feel guilty about using it but my friends cavallier has a normal collar plus is put on a choke chain for walks, and her neck is a mess.

its a difficult one. i feel guilty now. would hate to think i am hurting them.

thanks

Fidelma
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The average dog is often a nicer person than the average person. Andrew A. Rooney

My vets (Anicare, who have three Dublin surgeries) feel strongly that small breeds should be walked on harnesses not collars, and definitely that a choke chain should NEVER be used on a small breed because of the risk of tracheal damage. A collapsed trachea is a constant life risk for the dog. Many dogs will pull hard regardless of whether it is painful to them -- I am sure you've all seen dogs literally choking themselves from pulling hard on a regular collar (and choke chains, for that matter), coughing and wheezing and gasping and still pulling hard. A good obedience class on training a dog to walk to heel is the best method of preventing pulling, or using one of the halter-type collars (TKC on the board fits and advises on these in Ireland, and also runs general obediance and training classes through Dog Training Ireland).

The current recommendation of several international vet neurologists is cavaliers should only ever be walked on harnesses because of the potential of accelerating the development of syringomyelia -- the fluid pockets or syrinxes tend to form in the neck area then spread downwards. Here's my post on the SM website to this effect:

I never used a harness until everyone started talking about the Puppia harness. I got one for each of mine and just love them. Both of mine are pullers when we walk and I hated Shelby straining her neck against that collar. Now, if she pulls she is pulling against her chest rather than her neck. After a few minutes of walking she settles down and walks pretty well. I highly recommend the harness.

Harnesses

I've always used a harness on my Sasha since she had throat surgery - she can't take any type of restraint on her neck. She doesn't mind it altho' I think I will get her a Puppia Harness... Unfortunately our little Lhasa won't even move when you put a harness on him, so we have to just put the neck collar on him for show so he'll go for a walk!